From the acclaimed author of The Rosewood Hunt comes a thrilling new mystery about a high-stakes competition packed with shocking twists, second chances, and deadly deceit, where alliesâand enemiesâare the people youâd least expect.
Chloe Gatti will do whatever it takes to win her elite boarding schoolâs annual competition, the Wilde Trials. In the two weeks leading up to graduation from Wilde Academy, a dozen seniors are chosen to compete in a series of seven ultimate physical and mental tests, and the winner will take home over half a million dollarsâmoney that Chloe needs to help her sick sister.
But the competition is fierce and includes her brooding ex-boyfriend, Hayes Stratford, whose brother was the only student to die during the trials a few years ago. When someone starts blackmailing Chloe during the competition, sheâs forced to strike a deal with Hayesâif he helps her discover who is sabotaging her, sheâll help him solve the mystery his brother left behind.
Following clues from Hayesâs brother, the unlikely allies discover that something isnât right about the Wilde Trials. With a life-changing prize looming over her head and her buried feelings for Hayes rising to the surface, Chloe will have to decide whatâs really worth fighting for, and if the cost of competing outweighs the potential consequences, even if that includes ending up like Hayesâs brotherâdead.
Fans of Jessica Goodman and Maureen Johnson will love this dark academia thriller with a romantic twist!
âAn action-packed, fast-paced adventure with characters that crackled off the page. I had so much fun on this wild ride.â âGoldy Moldavsky, New York Times bestselling author of The Mary Shelley Club
âMackenzie Reed does it again! Action-packed and filled with heart, The Wilde Trials is a thrill ride from start to finish. With a jaw-dropping mystery and unexpected twists at every turn, this cutthroat academic competition keeps its Challengersâand readersâon their toes.â âRachel Moore, author of Us in Ruins and The Library of Shadows
""Atmospheric, pulse-pounding, and swoon-worthy, The Wilde Trials is perfect for readers who like their thrillers with a delicious side of dark academia. Full of riddles, hidden passageways, and a creepy, crumbling estate, Mackenzie Reedâs sophomore novel offers not only a high-stakes competition but also a thoughtful examination of ambitionâand its sometimes deadly cost."" âOlivia Worley, author of People to Follow and The Debutantes